I knew I was going to give this a shot because of Taraji alone, but I enjoyed the hell out of this. Terrence Howard channeling a less-suave Billy Dee! Malik Yoba! And Taraji was just...wow. She played Cookie with just enough over-the-top scenery chewing for a nighttime soap and was still able to make Cookie believable and real. She and Terrence work well together, and she single-handedly made each of the kids better just by being around.

The one thing I'm really going to struggle with is Jamal's "singing". With Timbaland serving as music producer, I'm sure we'll be in for a whole lot of songs that sound like Justin Timberlake knock-offs.

It might be too early for a topic but WTH I loved this out of the gate. Cookie and the show are everything soapy delicious I wanted Revenge to be.

The guy playing Andre and married to the white chick, is doing a great job being scary arrogant and assy, but also understandably ticked off at being overlooked. OTOH I love that Jamal and Hakeem are so genuinely supportive of one another (at least for the here and now) despite Dre and their dad trying to start some shit.

My goodness, where has this show been all of my life?? Is this the first primetime soap drama featuring a predominantly Black cast/core family? I think it is!

Taraji P is just a God to me. When she said sadly, "You gonna get me kilt" (not killed, KILT), in such a sad, realistic and utterly pathetic tone, I just wanted to sob for her. It's hard out here for a pimp, yo'.

Terrence "Baby Wipes" Howard is SO sleazy and his character is the very embodiment of punk ass bitch--he's perfect in this role.

I really hope that Lee Daniels continues to play a hands on role with this show and sticks to his vision. I've been burned by shows that started out promising and were ultimately ruined by heavy network involvement (ahem, Sleepy Hollow), so I'm trying hard not to fall in love with this show.

Is this the first primetime soap drama featuring a predominantly Black cast/core family? I think it is!

On a big network yes, but OWN has Tyler Perry's The Haves and the Have Nots, which has three core families two black, and one white, but it stars two relatively well know daytime soap stars Peter Parros from As the World Turns (whose role, aka Jessica's husband who was not Duncan, was so so so thankless) and Tika Sumpter who had mostly wasted crazy good potential on One Life to Life. It's cast is multi-racial, though still predominantly non-white.

What I like about Empire aside from Cookie/Taraji, is it's inspiration from a Lion in Winter, it's all on the nose call backs, but super entertaining just the same. I mean I've seen TLiW and that was a cast full of canned hams.

Man, Tarji has some magic powers because she makes Terrence Howard almost charming, I already knew they had great chemistry but the were workin it last night, and I like that he loves her, but he also knows how much he's hurt her, there's a lovely want to go back, but can't vibe to it all. I think if he weren't dealing with ALS diagnosis he might actually dump the new wife and try to get Cookie back.

I continue to ADORE how they handle Hakeem and Jamal, I will continue to hope that no one is able to shake that bond, I think they really took care of each other while Cookie was in prison. I do feel bad for Cookie that Hakeem can't get over her not being there for him, and it's not like she made an explicit decision to abandon him, so I kinda wish he'd get over it, but I see both sides very well.

Oh and if you want to have a laugh please try reading the Empire recap/reviews at the AV Club the dude who is doing them comically epically not getting what show he is actually watching and is critiquing it in terms of it's granular details and "authenticity". I mean, I guess whatever dude.

So this last episode did little to dissuade me from believing Lucious is still in love with the Cookie Monster. His proposal to Annika reeked of manipulation, he needed that IPO and her daddy could get it for him. In keeping with charming yet scumbaggy ways he cares for Annika and might even set her up good in the will, but he's using her to deal with the ALS while he ensures the futures of those he really loves: his kids and his Cookie.

I was bummed Jamal and Hakeem finally came to blows, but I'm so sympathetic to all three of the boys. Dre has no music creativity and has never been in that circle of family connection, so I get why he's a pissy plotting bitch. Hakeem is young, brash, and desperate for his daddy's love/approval so he postures with Jamal. And Jamal should have known as he said Hakeem is too stupid to have set this all in motion, but regardless I was kind of glad he punched him, if only to say look at who you got around you bro, guys who rob/shoot you for a *watch*. Hopefully they both work it out that it was thirsty Dre.

Poor Cookie, so much amazing hustle, and her completely understandable paranoia is set off by Lucious just tryin to tell her still loves her with that rose! She had the line of the episode as always: "I don't judge girl, but yous a freak." Hee.

OMG so many feels during this episode, Jamal coming out, Hakeem/Jamal bonding at the end (I clasped my hands to my heart in that scene for real!), Cookie singing in her cell, poor Andre and the empty or maybe Russian Roulette gun?

And dayum this one went all in on Lucious as the very devil, like I even felt kinda bad for Anika (but only a little cause she still dosed Elle that proved she's made for this SOB). That confrontation with Andre was just the worst, and I was already rooting for Dre to run the company, now even more so. I almost think Lee Daniels is trolling Terrance Howard by making him play a jackhole that is not wholly dissimilar to what I tend to think he's like in real life.

Meanwhile I need to cope with the deeply traumatizing reveal that Daniels is going to have Lenny Kravitz on in season 2. (The same TV God who cursed TVD with Phoebe Tonkin) Also possibly Denzel is a serious maybe.

I watched all of Season 1 in the weekend before the first episode of the season, and I'm seriously in love. I'm not sure if I'm digging season 2 quite as much, but I do still love it. I love that they're showing that the boys (except possibly Hakeem) are trying to not let all the ugly business dealings affect their love for each other.

I thought the guest stars were a bit much on the first episode, but I love having Andre Royo and Ludacris in the second episode as actual characters. I don't think I'll ever not be excited to see Andre Royo appear in something.

I'm not sure how I feel about Jamal's descent into the dark side. I mean, he's my favourite, and I understand where he's coming from with everything, so maybe it isn't a dark side, but he's on Lucious's side, and that can never be the side of good.